Church Calendar

One of the many community-related activities at St. Paul’s Parish, since 2017, has been its Annual Parish Garage Sale which takes place in June of each year.

This parish was founded in 1860 to respond to the religious needs of the burgeoning influx of Roman Catholics from Germany. It served as both religious and cultural center for the Roman Catholic German population of Reading/Berks for well over a century.

Its 150th anniversary in 2010 revealed a broadening of its original purpose. Refugees from Vietnam and immigrants from Latin America found St. Paul’s Parish responding to the needs of these two language groups. Fr. Quyet Pham, Assistant Pastor at St. Paul’s since 2006, artistically expressed this language and cultural diversity in a logo which has become the symbol of St. Paul’s current identity: EINE FAMILIE (German), UNA FAMILIA (Spanish), MOT GIA DINH (Vietnamese), and of course, ONE FAMILY (English).

In 2017, St. Paul’s Annual One Family Gala became a new event added to the many community-engaged activities over the years. Its inaugural Featured Speaker was Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, then Archbishop of Louisville, Kentucky and President of the American Conference of American; its first recipient of St. Paul’s One Family Award was Dr. Richard Flannery, a long-time member of St. Paul’s Parish and well-known leader in local scholastic and athletic activities.

This outdoor procession is celebrated on the Feast Day of Corpus, which occurs on the 9th Sunday after Easter.

In 2004, the 4 Downtown Reading Parishes of St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Margaret and St. Joseph combined to form a Corpus Christi procession. The route of the procession would be from one to another of the parishes, alternating every year. There are 3 altars set up along the way, one for prayers in English, one in Spanish and one in Vietnamese.

This Feast Day takes place on December 12. Until 2005, St. Peter’s, St. Paul’s, St. Margaret’s and St. Joseph’s Parishes each held their own Guadalupe celebration. In 2006 the 4 parishes united in their efforts to do a combined celebration in the Sovereign Center, which is now the Santander Center, and is located at the intersection of Penn St. and the railroad tracks on 7th St.

At 5:00 AM there is the Misa de las Mananitas. At 6:00 PM there is a solemn Mass with 2,000 to 3,000 people participating; every other year the Bishop of Allentown is the main con-celebrant. Music from mariachi bands usually accompanies both Masses.

This live enactment of the Way of the Cross takes place on Good Friday, beginning in St. Paul’s church and then exiting the church onto 9th St., then turning up Walnut St. to 10th St., then turning at Washington St., and finally back onto 9th St. and back into the church. All along the way the parish priests, deacons and choirs alternate praying and singing in Spanish.

Upon returning to the church, the Solemn Good Friday Liturgy begins.

There is only one monthly celebration for all the young women who want to celebrate a Quinceañera in our parish in a particular month. The date is generally the second Saturday of the month (at 1:00 PM) and always determined by the parish. As a community we celebrate the gift of life in our young ladies and welcome them to be more actively involved in our parish as they become Christian women. Contact Cindy at the Parish office at 610-372-1531, for more information and to register for the Quinceañera celebration.

Celebrated the third weekend of the month. Please call Cindy at the Parish office at 610-372-1531, to register before attending the Baptism workshop. The godparents must be practicing Catholics that attend Mass and give a good example to their godchild. They must be fully initiated, that is to have received the Sacraments of Baptism, First Communion and Confirmation. The godparents can be single, but if they are married, they must be married in the Catholic Church. Children who are first grade and older must attend Religious Education classes to prepare for baptism.